A Little Place Of Forgetting
by Lee Velviet
Summary: Sarah and Jareth meet in the Oubliette, but it isn't called 'a little place of forgetting' for nothing.


_A Little Place Of  Forgetting..._

  
Summary: Sarah and Jareth meet in the Oubliette. Disclaimer: I own nothing! "If that is the way it is done, then that is the way you must do it." ~ Sir Didymus 

_* Dedicated to a certain Evil Turkey – you know who you are. ^_~_

_Oubliette: A little place of forgetting. _

The darkness was absolute around her.

Sara stared up into the single, faint ray of light shining down from above her, and tried not to panic.

Was this truly 'certain death'? Were there evil little creatures in the darkness, readying themselves even now to leap upon her?

She waited, envisioning sharp little teeth savaging her skin. She wrapped her arms around herself, cringing slightly, but there was nothing, only the cold blackness that seemed to seep through the thin linen of her shirt.

"Oh, why, _why_ didn't I say _up_?" She muttered at last, sweeping her hair from her eyes.

Sarah sat for long minutes then in the silence, listening for any sign of life around her – it was impossible that this was the end, that she'd come all this way for it to just suddenly be over.

Besides, Jareth wouldn't just leave her here _forever_, would we? He couldn't…but he was the Goblin King, and he _did _steal children – what else was he capable of?

" - Leaving foolishly brave young girls to their grisly deaths?"

A tiny light flared to life beside her at the sound of the cool, arrogant voice, and Sara started, gasping. She leapt to her feet at the golden light flared to expose the room around her – there wasn't much room to speak of. She was barely able to stand upright where she was, without smacking her head on the ceiling.

"Now, now – be truthful, Sarah. You know very well that I don't _steal_ children, well, not unless I'm _asked_. And _you_ asked, my little love, lest you forget. _I _was doing you a bloody favor. Do you really think I come to just anyone who makes a silly little wish, 'tra-la-la'?"

The frustration in the King's powerful voice made her wince slightly as she looked at him. He stood before her, tall and handsome enough to take her breath away. She dropped her eyes, and stared at the floor. Why was she feeling so guilty? There wasn't any reason for her to feel badly. She'd told him she hadn't meant to wish -

"What's said is said," Jareth drawled again, and she wondered how he could sound both amused and annoyed at the same time. 

"Stop reading my mind!" Sarah snapped at last, before she could think better of it.

A dark fire flashed in his eyes, and she swallowed, taking several hasty steps away.

"You take my patience for granted, Sarah," Jareth announced after a long, frightening moment. "I have reordered time, nearly drained my power - and I have done it all for you. But even I have my limits, and you are testing them greatly with this foolishness about your baby brother." He narrowed his eyes, examining her with a sharp gaze.

"I-I'm sorry," Sarah breathed, watching him in wary confusion. "I didn't know – "

"No, you wouldn't would you?" He agreed with a dismissing glance, and turned away.

"What am I supposed to say? What is it you want of me?" She cried quickly, afraid he might leave her. "I don't understand!"

He paused, his back still to her, and she heard him sigh roughly. The strong, proud set of his shoulders seemed to slouch slightly, as if he were very tired.

"You are so innocent," he said so quietly she had to strain to catch his words. 

"I-I'm not," she countered defensively.

He turned on her, the long, glittering dark cloak he wore sweeping dramatically. "You are, indeed, if you haven't realized by now the _why_ and _what_ of it." Jareth watched her so intently it made her blush.

"I'm not a child," Sarah managed.

"Oh, but you are, Sarah dearest. You are a very spoiled, selfish child, who thinks of no one but herself," he told her in a dangerously soft tone, advancing across the space between them slowly. "You have very conveniently placed yourself in the role of the injured party, once again. Your brother, your father, and your step-mother…you believe they're victimizing you. But in truth, all you are doing is victimizing yourself."

Sarah shook her head vehemently in denial. "It's not true – I'm not like that – "

"No?" He stood directly before her now, and she blinked, looking anywhere but at him.

"Most girls your age do not spend all of their time dreaming about fairies and Goblins," he commented with cold amusement.

Embarrassed, Sarah folded her arms across an aching chest and turned away, hurt. But she knew what he said was true. She _was_ like a child, hiding away in her room, surrounded by her beloved toys – hadn't she heard it all before, from the kids who teased her at school, and her own step-mother? She hadn't wanted to let go – 

"And do you know why you didn't want to let go, Sarah?" Jareth startled her by whispering in her ear.

"Y-you're unkind, saying such things," she said, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

"I can be cruel," he agreed, and she felt his hand sifting through the strands of hair falling over her shoulder. "But you're straying from the point."

Sarah swiped a tear from her cheek. "Jareth – "

She gasped as he grasped her shoulder hard and turned her to face him.

"Use my given name at your peril, Sarah! My impatience has ever been my downfall, and hearing my name falling from those lips – " he hissed, and  pushed her away. 

"I'll tell you why you didn't want to let go – "

"No!"

"You fear me. You know that I have been here for you always – "

"Stop!" Sarah clamped her hands over her ears. She didn't want to hear – but he went on mercilessly.

"You said yourself that I was in love with you, and you know that you feel the same for me!"

She felt something break inside, and she fell onto her knees. 

She heard his breath, coming ragged and fast, and heard him pacing in a circle around her, but she didn't dare look up.

"You should fear me, Sarah," he said at last. "You do well to, because that fear is the only thing that prevents me from keeping you here with me forever."

"You wouldn't!"

"I do whatever I desire and you well know it! If you succeed in finding your way to the castle, and finding your brother, it will be because it _pleased me to allow you to do so!"_

Sarah bowed her head, feeling incredibly foolish.

"Sarah," he sighed above her. "You could make this all so much easier on yourself. Give up Toby, and I'll send you home. You'll forget all about him, and have the attention you want, all the time you want to dream your silly little dreams. Or…you could stay here with me. Tell me you love me, and I'll give you everything."

She tensed as he knelt before her, and she peeked at him.

He knelt on one knee, and bowed his head. He held one gloved hand out, palm up.

"Stay with me, Sarah," 

"Is that an order?"

He lifted his head slightly to peer at her through the long fall of his spiky platinum hair. "It is…a request."

Sarah stared into his eyes, feeling tempted beyond reason…but the memory of her crying, frightened brother made her shake her head. She had wronged Toby greatly, and she had to rescue him.

"I-I can't."

Pain and disappointment clouded his gaze before he again sighed, and looked away.  His outstretched hand curled into a tight fist before he let it drop in defeat.

Guilt at having hurt him made her chest ache again, and she stood shakily.

Jareth rose before her, and clenched his jaw. "The game is still on then – you'll forgive me if I don't wish you luck," he said tightly, his wickedly arched brows lowered in a brooding frown.

"Jareth – " she began unthinkingly, raising one hand to touch him.

He took an angry step back. "I warned you once – I won't do it again," he told her fiercely. "If you want to remain a child, do as you will – but do not dare provoke me in that way again, for I'll never be able to let you go. This is no _friendly_ love I have for you, Sarah!"

Sarah looked at him helplessly, and a cruel smile stretched his lips. He made her a mocking bow – and disappeared in a rush of black, glittering velvet and gray smoke.

Sarah was once again left in the darkness, haunted by his words.

Later a sound disturbed her, and she found her solitude broken by the arrival of Hoggle. She spoke to him absently, her mind whirling…

She was leaving the Oubliette behind the dwarf, thinking it would be impossible to go on knowing now what she did…and then she passed through the tiny door and abruptly, conveniently forgot everything that had transpired between her and the Goblin King back in the tiny cell…

Jareth watched from the shadows nearby, and sad smile on his face as he saw Sarah exit and stop, looking about in confusion as her memories faded.

They weren't called _Oubliette's_ for nothing…

End  ^_~


End file.
